Begin again!

A new year, we begin again.  Time to forget about the 'old' and focus on the 'new'.  My word for 2015 is COURAGE -  and although not sure where that will be taking me, I feel that it is a word that epitomizes ME where I am NOW. Courage within myself, courage to deal with what life has in store for me this year, courage to encourage!


I will add a pic when Blogger decides I can do so again - so frustrating!

MY STEPS ON THE 10000 MILE JOURNEY

Ten thousand mile journey

starts with the first step

So here I am again!  One post in 2013 so lets just equal that with ONE POST in 2014.

Lately I have had this insane need to document life - my life, and if I am the only one reading this then so be it.  I need to inspire myself to become more of me! I need to put down what is inside my head and heart.


2014 - the year that is almost done, and what did I achieve?

• began high school with Carmen - Having a teenage daughter is exciting and exhilarating at the same time.  They are unpredictable, fun and loving one moment and reserved and quiet the next.  I wonder if she knows how much having her in my life has meant to me.  Yes, there are times when we clash, but more times we don't and that is what counts.
• packed up my home - we moved house, province, schools and environments.  It has been said that moving is one of the most stressful experiences but can also be one of the most exciting experiences.  Saying good bye to the old was one of the saddest things I have had to do.  Saying goodbye to my home of 13 years was not as sad as I anticipated it to be, sorting out all the clutter of the past 13 years has been a good exercise and one I would not have done without making the move.  Saying goodbye to my friends - extremely difficult!
• living in a rental - different and as homely as I can make it.
• began a new line of work - work from home is new to me!  The world of sport is very new to me.  This has taken me to new places around my new home town and for that I am grateful.  I have met new people and have enjoyed many coffee dates. Yes, new, new, new!
• creatively - I have really lagged in this area.  I have the great need to create without life getting in the way.  15 minutes of creating a week will be a starting goal!
• planning a new home - a new experience for us, we have never built a home from scratch - foundation to roof - all the decisions we need to make are rather scary, but small steps should do it.
• learning to be more independent - not a bad thing at all. Living life differently but functionally - that's all it is.
• spending time with my family - for so many years we had to plan for months to spend time and now I am only 30 mins away - awesome!

So as I say goodbye to 2014, what would I like to achieve in 2015?

• focus on family!!! Make a concerted effort to do things that matter.
• create, create, create!  Starting with DLP and spending 15 minutes whenever I can.
• spend less on wasting time
• exercise, eat healthier, be happy, plan better, put things back where they belong - tangible or otherwise!
• find newness and experiences!
• flowers in August / September! Sounds arb for this list but important to me.
• find the good in as much as I can.
• positivity

three months down the line!

................ energy ......................






what happened to it?  three months down the line and i am only getting to updating my blog now.  so what happened to my energy?  i shared it with 24 little balls of energy.  the last three months i have been teaching and as the saying goes ....once you are able to ride a bicycle you will always be able to ride the bike .......... teaching came back to me as if i was on the bike!  i loved every minute even the challenging minutes as well.  so now it is back to some me time, back to some creative time - in an adult sense - as i have been doing lots of creative activities with the children.

so here's to getting back some of that energy (i even made a list!) and doing something different

if you want to join me go to stephanie's blog www.homegrownhospitality.typepad.com for more details.

yippideedoodle .... time for some fun!

new beginnings

Wishing you all the very best for the new year.  May you be rewarded with happiness, peacefulness and good health.  I am not making new resolutions, but am going to focus on one little word ....energy..... being able to do the things I want to do, having the energy to do them to the best of my ability, sharing my energy with those around me, tapping into the energy of others to fill my energy tank, tackling life with positive energy, so let's see where that takes me ......... watch this space!

there's always the first try!

Caught in the act!



Look at the icicles on the roof!



While at IKEA (wish we had one of these in SA) in Perth I spotted a GINGERBREAD HOUSE KIT, and just had to have it.  Packed carefully in my hand luggage and nursed all the way back home, it unfortunately did not survive the journey without a little adjustment necessary to the windows.

CHRISTMAS WISHES

MAY PEACE BE YOUR GIFT

AT CHRISTMAS

AND YOUR

BLESSING

ALL YEAR THROUGH

SO UNNECESSARY!

I cannot begin to imagine what went through the teachers' minds in Newtown.  Yes, those children have been entrusted to you and what you do is exactly what they did.  You protect them as best you can.  I salute the teachers that protected the children to the extent of sacrificing their own lives.  DEDICATION TO THE END.  Thank you to +Stephanie Ackerman for having such a great heart and creating this doodle in remembrance of the children and teachers in Newtown.